Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Herbaceous Perennial
Origin
Europe, Asia
China, Japan, Korea
Types
Pennisetum alopecuroides
-
Number of Varieties
815
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Grassland
Dappled Shade, meadows, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-85-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
9-4
Sunset Zone
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.50 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Light Yellow, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Purple, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Salt
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
Water once every two or three weeks
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Ample Water
Moderate
In Winter
Moderate
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune to control growth
Remove the old foliage
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Use a fertilizer ratio of 16-4-8
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
Asthma, conjunctivitis, Rhinitis
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Bog Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for insects, Wildlife
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antiasthamatic, Antispasmodic, Expectorant, Poultice
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers, Stem
Other Uses
cultivated as pasture or hay crop, Food for animals, Food for insects
Can be boiled and seasoned, pickled, Used as umbrellas by Japanese children, Used as walking sticks, Used like rhubarb
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Feature Plant, Groundcover
Bog Garden, Container, Feature Plant, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
ALOPECURUS
PETASITES japonicus
Common Name
Foxtail Grass
Giant Butterbur, Japanese Butterbur
In Hindi
Foxtail Grass
Giant Butterbur
In German
Foxtail Grass
Riesen Pestwurz
In French
Foxtail Grass
géant Butterbur
In Spanish
Hierba de cola de zorra
gigante petasita
In Greek
αλωπέκουρου Grass
Giant Butterbur
In Portuguese
grama de foxtail
Carrapicho gigante
In Polish
ber trawy
Giant Lepiężnik
In Latin
panicum Grass
Giant Butterbur
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Asterales
Family
Poaceae
Asteraceae
Genus
Alopecurus
Petasites
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Senecioneae
Subfamily
-
Asteroideae
Number of Species
121
1
27800
👆🏻